The Duchess of Cornwall is known to be a huge fan of the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing, and in her role as President of the National Osteoporosis Society, she has taken part in the show’s Christmas Day special.

Camilla took to the dance floor in front of the camera at Buckingham Palace where she hosted a tea dance and encouraged couples affected by Osteoporosis to join her.

In the episode, the Duchess is joined by the stars of Strictly, and she took a spin on the dance floor with professional dancer, Brendan Cole and judge, Craig Revel Horwood.

During the event, she spoke of the importance of remaining active in older age.

A show insider said: “It seemed like a great fit to use Strictly to celebrate dancing as a way of keeping fit, especially at a time of year when so many people are stuck on the sofa.”

Brendan Cole, who has been with the show since its launch in 2004, said: “She [Camilla] knows her way around a dance floor – don’t you worry about that.

“She was absolutely delightful, I didn’t know if I was breaking protocol or not but I did ask her if it was okay to ask her to dance, and she said ‘I’d love to’.

“I thought somebody was about to grab me by the scruff of the neck and kick me out.”

Last year, the show was the second most-watched programme on Christmas Day with 7.2 million people tuning in. This was only beaten by The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast, which saw an audience of 8 million.